Microsoft KB Archive/933310

Knowledge Base

The program stops responding or the preview does not appear when you start the LifeCam

Article ID: 933310

Article Last Modified on 10/12/2007

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APPLIES TO

• Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000
• Microsoft LifeCam NX-3000
• Microsoft LifeCam VX-7000
• Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000
• Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000
• Microsoft LifeCam VX-1000

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Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure that you back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows registry

SYMPTOMS

When you start the Microsoft LifeCam, the video preview does not appear. Or the program stops responding (hangs).

RESOLUTION

Adjust the color depth

Turn the color depth for the video card down to medium (16 bit). To do this, follow the steps for the operating system that you are using.

Windows Vista

1. Right-click the desktop, and then click Personalize.
2. Click Display Settings.
3. In the Colors box, click Medium (16 bit), and then click OK.

Microsoft Windows XP

1. Right-click the desktop, and then click Properties.
2. On the Settings tab in the Color quality box, click Medium (16 bit), and then click OK.

Verify that the LifeCam is installed correctly

To verify that the LifeCam is installed correctly, follow the steps for the operating system that you are using.

Windows Vista

1. Click Start, and then click Computer.
2. Double-click Microsoft LifeCam. If you see a preview from the camera, follow these steps:
   1. Shut down the computer.
   2. Unplug the LifeCam.
   3. Plug the LifeCam into a different USB port.
      
      Note If the device was plugged in to a secondary hub, unplug the device from the hub, and then plug the device directly into the root hub.
   4. Start the computer.

   If you do not see Microsoft LifeCam, follow these steps:

   1. Click System properties.
   2. Under Tasks tab, click Device Manager.
   3. Look in Imaging devices for a black exclamation point (!) on a yellow field next to a device. This indicates that the device is in a problem state. Right-click the device, and then click Uninstall.
   4. Restart the computer.

Windows XP

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. Double-click Microsoft LifeCam. If you see a preview from the camera, follow these steps:
   1. Shut down the computer.
   2. Unplug the LifeCam.
   3. Plug the LifeCam into a different USB port.
      
      Note If the device was plugged in to a secondary hub, unplug the device from the hub, and then plug the device directly into the root hub.
   4. Start the computer.

   If you do not see Microsoft LifeCam, follow these steps:

   1. Under System Tasks, click View system information.
   2. On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager.
   3. Look in Imaging devices for a black exclamation point (!) on a yellow field next to a device. This indicates that the device is in a problem state. Right-click the device, and then click Uninstall.
   4. Restart the computer.

Start the computer by using a clean boot procedure

Start the computer by using a clean boot procedure to disable common startup programs, settings, and drivers to eliminate possible software conflicts.

For more information about how to perform a clean boot procedure, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

310353 How to perform a clean boot in Windows XP

Reduce the graphics hardware acceleration setting

To determine whether there is an issue with the video adapter or the video driver, reduce the graphics hardware acceleration setting. To do this, follow the steps for the operating system that you are using.

Windows Vista

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance and Personalization, click Personalization, click Display Settings, and then click Advanced Settings.
2. Click the Troubleshoot tab, and then click Change Settings.
   
   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
3. Move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. The Hardware Acceleration setting should not be reduced to less than three notches from the right. The Hardware Acceleration setting should be set to the following:

   Disable all DirectDraw and Direct3D accelerations, as well as all cursor and advanced drawing accelerations.

   If you reduce the Hardware Acceleration setting, you may experience more issues with video rendering.
4. Click OK three times, and then close the window.

Windows XP

1. Right-click the desktop, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Settings tab, and then click Advanced.
3. Click the Troubleshoot tab.
4. Move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. The Hardware Acceleration setting should not be reduced to less than three notches from the right. The Hardware Acceleration setting should be set to the following:

   Disable all cursor and advanced drawing accelerations. Use this setting to correct drawing problems.

   If you reduce the Hardware Acceleration setting, you may experience more issues with video rendering.
5. Click OK, and then click Close.

Reduce the USB bandwidth

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk. To reduce the USB bandwidth, follow these steps:

1. Run Registry Editor. To do this in Windows Vista, click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
   
   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
   
   To run Registry Editor in Windows XP, click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class

3. On the Edit menu, click Find.
4. In the Find what box, type 6BDD1FC6-810F-11D0-BEC7-08002BE2092F, and then click Find Next.
5. Expand the subkey, and then expand the 0000 folder.
   
   Note This number can vary.
6. Expand DefaultSettings, and then click OV9650.
7. Double-click the USBBandwidth entry. This is has a value of 8 which is the Default value.
8. Change the value to alter the LifeCam USB Bandwidth. 8 is the maximum possible bandwidth. Type 7 or type 6, and then click OK. If you use a value that is less than 6, the video on the screen for a LifeCam will appear jerky or will lag.

Update the video drivers

1. Determine the manufacturer of the video driver. To do this, follow the steps in the "Determine the manufacturer and the model of the video adapter" section.
2. Locate the manufacturer's Web site.
3. Download and then install the latest video driver for your video adapter.

Determine the manufacturer and the model of the video adapter

1. Open Device Manager. To do this in Windows XP and earlier versions, click Start, click Run, type devmgmt.msc, and then click OK.
   

To open Device Manager in Windows Vista, click Start, type devmgmt.msc in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.

1. Double-click Display adapters.
2. Under the Display adapters branch, note the manufacturer and the model of your video adapter, and then click OK.

For information about how to contact your video adapter manufacturer, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 Hardware and software vendor contact information, A-K

60781 Hardware and software vendor contact information, L-P

60782 Hardware and software vendor contact information, Q-Z

Look for conflicting software

If the problem persists, there may be some conflicting software installed.

For more information about how to troubleshoot software conflict problems with the LifeCam, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

929087 The LifeCam does not work after you install the LifeCam software

Keywords: kbtshoot kbprb kbexpertisebeginner KB933310

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